Are you struggling with your social media posts because you’re repeating the same social media mistakes over and over again? Believe me, these pitfalls are easy to get trapped in.

The good news is that with a couple of storytelling strategies under your belt, you can avoid these common mistakes. Instead of posting into the void, your social media can have a specific purpose that draws in your target audience. 

When your social media storytelling strategy is working for you, you won’t only draw in your target audience, but you’ll keep them around and engaged with your content. Keep reading to learn about the top four social media mistakes to avoid and how to correct them if you’ve already made them. 

Social Media Mistake 1: Providing Too Much Information

Like it or not, the days of wordy social media captions are over. Your audience is scrolling faster and faster, and they only stop for stories that capture their attention. Too much text, whether it’s in a caption or on a video, overwhelms social media users today. 

This mistake isn’t only about length. A short caption can still contain too much information or too many ideas. 

Ask yourself these questions to correct this social media mistake:

• What’s the purpose of this post?
• Can I eliminate anything that doesn’t fulfill that purpose?
• Who is this post for?
• Can I reach them with fewer words?

Focusing on one person or target audience at a time can help you keep your social media storytelling strategy simple and clear. 

Social Media Mistake 2: Having No Purpose

Every social media post, email campaign, and webpage needs to tell a story, and every story should have a purpose. Without a clear purpose, your content is not working for you or growing your brand. 

It’s easy to get caught up in “personal blogging” on social media and overshare about yourself. After all, these apps started out as our digital diaries. But if you’re using social media to grow your business or brand, you need to post with a purpose. 

Ask yourself these questions to correct this social media mistake:

• Why am I sharing this story?
• What value does this story provide to my audience?
• What will they gain once they hear it?

Once you narrow in on the purpose of your post, make sure you provide your audience with a clear call to action. They need to know exactly what to do next after they’ve engaged with your story. 

Social Media Mistake 3: Being Disingenuous

Audiences today can see right through disingenuous social media posts. They’re tired of feeds that look too polished and perfect because they know it’s not real life. 

When it comes to your storytelling strategy, you don’t need to embellish or over-exaggerate to capture your audience’s attention. Trust me, they much prefer it when you show up as your authentic self. 

Ask yourself these questions to correct this social media mistake:

• Is this post transparent and honest?
• Does it showcase the real me?
• Is it real and relatable to my audience?

The more authentic you are, the more your audience can relate to your posts, which will make them stick around and continue to engage with you.

Social Media Mistake 4: You Make the Story About Yourself Instead of Your Audience

This social media mistake is so easy to fall into because you’ve been told that you need to showcase your authentic self and the value that you can add to your audience’s lives. However, you can still do both of those things without making your story all about you.

The way to do it is to remove yourself as the hero of your stories and make your audience the hero. 

Ask yourself these questions to fix this social media mistake:

• Who is the hero of this story?
• Am I putting myself on a pedestal? 
• Does this story solve a problem for my audience, or is it all about me?

Making your audience the hero of your story will help them feel like they aren’t reading a story from a random stranger on the internet. Instead, they’re reading a story that involves them.

Learn More Storytelling Strategies in My Storytelling Intensive

Are you ready to take your social media and online presence to the next level? The first step is to walk back any bad social media habits you may have fallen into and implement a storytelling strategy. 

To recap, the top four social media mistakes are providing too much information, having no purpose, being disingenuous, and making your story all about yourself. Learn more about how to correct these mistakes and make an impact inside my Storytelling Intensive. 

With the right storytelling strategy, your social media will shine and you will finally reach the ear of your target audience. Get started with my Storytelling Intensive today!